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If you caught Mac's short video last week, you got a taste of what he's up to with Klavs' amazing Rapier models. His last scene went heavy on the red tones while this one emphasizes more of the blue notes. You can now pick whichever is your favorite as a glorious 4K wallpaper!

So yeah, I'm doing a #wingcommander thing. A small thing mind you, based on a story about a little Corvette that could. Somehow I seem to be having difficulty getting back into the ~*Youtuber Grindset*~, so I figure a small warmup project is just what's needed.

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Does the British monarchy still exist in Wing Commander's 27th Century? It's not directly stated but it is implied by the "sir" in Admiral Tolwyn's formal title. As seen on office doors in Wing Commander II:

Tolwyn's knighthood isn't mentioned very often but the novel Action Stations calls him "Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn, VC, MOH, DSC, KCB" which means that he's a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.

The VC stands for Victoria Cross, which would also suggest Britain still exists in 2673. It's the nation's highest military honor.

As for England itself, Fleet Action has Tolwyn stopping to fret about England CONSTANTLY!

He thought for a moment of a distant ancestor of long ago, who, when contemplating the invasion and destruction of England,announced that even if England fell, the Empire, and with it the fleet, would still continue the fight. England. No, he didn't want tothink of that now. ...

But it was

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CustomGameCovers has a cool product for Wingnuts who own Prophecy for the Game Boy Advance. Since the game comes on a cartridge, it's very popular on the resale market - although it's commonly without a box. This solution fills that need with a reusable DS-style container that has a slip cover based on the game's original cardboard box. It's not really a collectible piece itself, but it could be a nice complement to the Prophecy Advance in your collection! You can order them for about $10 on eBay. There's also a deal where you can buy two and get one free.

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BastichB 64K has posted a new video in his DOS Days series. This episode focuses on Wing Commander 2, and it's been a long time coming since his WC1 profile originally dropped way back in March 2020. This isn't a particularly long clip, but it's nice how the narrator tries to set the stage and describe the early '90s pop culture context. WC2 gets a lot of credit for its new gameplay mechanics, narrative-driven story, interesting characters and engrossing expansions. Check it out below!

A look back at Wing Commander 2 a classic sequel to the much beloved original space opera by Origin Systems.

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*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
Swarms of Thargoid vessels have invaded the 42 n Persei, Chun Pindit and Tekkeitjal systems in an apparently coordinated attack.
Vox Galactica published this report by field correspondent Ernesto Rios:
"Since the Thargoids conquered HIP 22460 a month ago, their presence has gradually expanded in all directions. But these are the first inhabited systems to be invaded since the Proteus Wave incident, threatening a combined population of over seven million people."
"The governing factions of these systems – Sirius Inc, SI Terraforming and Tekkeitjal Public Corporation, respectively – are expected to host defensive operations against the Thargoids. None are aligned to any superpower, and so have no formal navy to support these efforts."
"As yet, none of the starports in 42 n Persei, Chun Pindit or Tekkeitjal have been directly attacked. Civilians have been instructed to

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The Federal Intelligence Agency has warned of heightened interest in the Far God cult and groups considered sympathetic to the Thargoids.
Deputy Director Bethany Blake, who runs the Proactive Detection Bureau, delivered a public statement:
"We have confirmed a significant increase in communications between local chapters of the Far God religious order, which includes the sharing of unverified xenological data. The Thargoids' victory in HIP 22460 seems to have caused unprecedented excitement among the cultists. At present, there is no evidence that they pose any danger to the public. However, we are concerned by a recent increase in citizens abandoning their conventional lifestyles to join the cult."
"We have also noted the rising popularity of a civil movement that advocates diplomatic relations with the Thargoids. This rhetoric is being promoted by several high-profile media figures. There is

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Greg14 found a really cool video from the inaugural issue of the French gaming mag PC Fun. In November 1994 this would have been one of the first magazines to include CD-ROMs that packed in "multimedia" enhancements like recorded interviews. Chris Roberts and Mark Hamill are included together here, and their responses are all in English with French translations on the screen.

There are some lovely vintage touches to see. The footage is a "postage stamp" - taking up just a quarter of the screen in what's already a classically low res interface. Each answer is prompted by clicking a giant red button with the question on it. And just listen to Chris Roberts talk about how the game will run at 8-10 frames per second in SVGA on a 486/33 - those were the days!

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I'm just loving how Symphonic Remakes is starting to make their way through Privateer, which is chock full of moody and edgy music that really takes me back to the Gemini Sector. Their latest reorchestration tackles the game's initial spaceflight and combat music. Listening to this really conveys the sense of launching in your Tarsus or Centurion, heading out into the unknown and encountering some dangerous foes.

If that's got you wanting more, here are a couple of their earlier Privateer tracks!

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Senator Denton Patreus, fleet admiral of the Imperial Navy, has discussed the Empire's new priorities following the Battle of HIP 22460.
During an exclusive interview with the Eye on Achenar newsfeed, Patreus said:
"Her Majesty the Emperor has decreed that our military priority is to defend systems within the Empire. The Imperial Navy's production and training facilities have increased their efforts to redress the loss of three Majestic-class interdictors, along with tens of thousands of naval crew."
"I've conducted my own tactical analysis of what took place in the HIP 22460 system. Salvation's interest in the area with historic Thargoid ruins was no coincidence, I feel. He was something of a showman, and planning a final victory in the aliens' own territory fits what we know of his ambition."
"The Thargoids attacked human fleets with ferocious intent, but the fact they never assaulted the

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The xeno-peace movement, which calls for communication with the Thargoids, has sought to rationalise the latest incursions.
Despite ongoing conflicts in the 42 n Persei, Chun Pindit and Tekkeitjal systems, Thargoid aggression has been attributed to defensive measures. Reports by journalists in those systems, which have focused on the increasingly aggressive Thargoid craft, have been labelled 'propaganda' endorsed by major media corporations.
The 'Thargoid Advocacy Project' - a label which many supporters of the movement use in calls to action - believes that the authorities must commit to establishing a dialogue with the aliens. Timothy Culver, a prominent activist for the xeno-peace cause, provided a statement to The Sovereign:
"The Thargoids did not invade our space. We invaded theirs. Entire nebulas and other regions have been inhabited by them for over a million years, but our leaders

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Here's another Spanish retro review from Maxi de Sokar. We've seen several of these articles recently, but this time OKPC really liked Wing Commander Armada! It earned a whopping 93% to beat out other top scorers like WC2 and Privateer each at 90%. The game got a four page spread littered with screenshots. They credit Armada's replayability, option to play as the Kilrathi and the multiplayer - including split screen mode. These are all things I love about Armada, but I don't often see reviews agree so enthusiastically. "Excitement will be served!"

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Classified audio-visual footage from the Battle of HIP 22460 has been anonymously submitted to several mainstream newsfeeds.
The Alliance Tribune, The Federal Times, The Imperial Herald, The Sovereign and Vox Galactica all received databanks salvaged from various wreckages in the HIP 22460 system. Most were obtained from naval vessels, along with a handful recovered from independent ship's logs.
Superpower-based newsfeeds elected not to publish any information related to their own militaries, citing security guidelines. But enough material has reached the public domain to portray the sequence of events of August 9th: the activation of the Proteus Wave, the Thargoid counter-attack, and the subsequent destruction of huge numbers of ships.
These files include audio recordings of a broadcast of unknown origin that occurred throughout HIP 22460. They match previously unverified descriptions of a

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Concept to screen!

And a little lore for after:

AdmiralNick actually inspired me to count them a few weeks ago! I found 5 of them docked at Pegasus and 16 in the fleet at the end of the movie.

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A special tribunal of the Federal Navy Criminal Court has deliberated the case of former admiral Aden Tanner and made a final decision.
The following press release was released to all Federal newsfeeds:
"This tribunal has scrutinised the latest evidence supplied by the Federal Attorney's Office. We find that the analysis of Salvation's superweapons does indeed substantiate Mr Tanner's allegation that they were designed to provoke a hostile response from the Thargoids. Azimuth Biotech has been unable to verify that its claimed 'anti-xeno detection network' exists, explaining that most of Salvation's advanced designs were not widely shared within the corporation."
"Nevertheless, regardless of motive or moral justification, Mr Tanner directly disobeyed orders when the Musashi staged an assault on Hind Mine in the T Tauri system. It is therefore our judgement that the court martial verdict on the

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It's been getting teased for months, and now Mac's lore video about the TCS Johnny Greene is here! Mac does an excellent job building up the ship and detailing its heroic efforts as detailed in the End Run substory, Milk Run. Along the way, we're treated to scene after gorgeous scene of Klavs' models in action. The narration is spot on, but all of the snazzy artwork would make this a dazzling video even with the sound off!

A battered old corvette gets called to perform a "Milk Run" recon job on a planet. What they find are suicidal odds against their survival and the means to turn the Kilrathi War around for Humanity.

Thanks to Heart of the Tiger for the tip!

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Greg14 has uncovered another great vintage publication dating back to the golden era of Wing Commander's FMV production. This comes from the July 1995 issue of Joystick magazine in France. It's got lots of gorgeous set photographs, including some new ones to us. The article itself covers a range of topics such as the production values, extensive story, Chris Roberts as a director and more. Check it out below!

The filming of the cinematic scenes of Wing Commander 4 in Hollywood studios. French magazine "Joystick" July 1995.

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Today we've got an updated look at the exotic Double Helix design that Klavs is experimenting with. Instead of a static image, this time we've got a subtle video where it ominously hangs in space. It's both beautiful and eerie at the same time!

Playing with the Double Helix spaceship again, fiddling with camera angles & focal lengths to make the ship appear to shift and stretch in slightly unsettling ways. It all happens probably too slowly to notice, but then maybe that's the poinnnnnnt.

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I love hardware ads where assets from a bunch of games are hanging out. We've got spaceships! And scantily clad ladies! And monster trucks! (PC Gamer, May 1998)

I am finding so many of these that it will require a deep dive... but look at THIS ONE which features a Vaktoth from Privateer Online!?!?!?!?!?

So it looks like there were four of these paste ups for the original Voodoo cards in 1997. No Wing Commander in the first one!

Then two more for the Voodoo 2. After that there’s not such a focus on advertising how much developer support 3dfx has…

Just way more butts up there than are usually in one of my posts.

I had the Canopus Pure 3D and it had *6* megs of memory instead of 4. Still have no idea what that even did.

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Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Order of the Far God is facing an official investigation and increased public maltreatment within the Federation.
Freelance journalist Alexei Keel published a special report via Vox Galactica:
"The Thargoid-worshipping cult has always been a controversial faith on Federal worlds. But it is currently causing a civil backlash of the sort not seen since 3304."
"A recent exposé by the Federal Free Press proves that naval intelligence operatives are investigating all chapters of the cult established in Federal space. Allegedly, there are suspicions that cultists may be undertaking acts of espionage to sabotage anti-xeno operations."
"As more details of the Battle of HIP 22460 become public knowledge, the pacifistic cultists have become an easy target for ordinary people seeking some kind of revenge against overtly pro-Thargoid ideologies. Although security forces claim to be responding to these

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Princess Aisling Duval has challenged the Empire's shift in priority towards reduced interaction with other superpowers.
During an interview with the Citizens' Chronicle newsfeed, she remarked:
"It's obvious that the Imperial Navy is deeply embarrassed by its commitment to Salvation, and is as good as paralyzed without his superweapon technology. The Emperor is now attempting to save face by severing all collaborative projects with the Alliance and Federation. Frankly, I think this is short-sighted and self-defeating."
"Our naval crews in HIP 22460 died as heroes, of course, but we should not ignore that they were acting in coalition with Allied and Federal taskforces. This tragedy affected all of us, and we do not honour the dead by pretending otherwise. All of us with the ability to help, no matter our allegiance, must do more to support the families of everyone lost in that appalling